The pressure bulkhead comprises a sandwich structure which defines a central axis and which extends between, i.e. is surrounded by, a circumferential border area which is configured for being mounted to a fuselage shell of an associated aircraft fuselage. The central axis preferably extends in parallel with respect to a longitudinal axis of an associated aircraft fuselage, or approximately in parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis.
The sandwich structure comprises an inner face sheet, an outer face sheet opposite the inner face sheet, and a core assembly which is sandwiched between the inner and outer face sheets. Both, the inner face sheet and the outer face sheet extend transverse, preferably perpendicular, with respect to the central axis. Preferably, the pressure bulkhead is installed or can be installed in an associated aircraft fuselage in such a manner that the inner face sheet faces the cabin and the outer face sheet faces away from the cabin. The core assembly connects the inner face sheet to the outer face sheet.
Similar pressure bulkheads are known from the prior art. DE 10 2012 005 451 A1 discloses a pressure bulkhead for an aircraft fuselage, comprising a sandwich structure including an inner face sheet, an outer face sheet and a foam core sandwiched between the face sheets. The sandwich structure has a lenticular cross section, wherein the thickness increases continuously from a border area to a central axis. However, such a lenticular cross section is optimized for pressure bulkheads which are under a uniform loading, i.e. a loading which results merely from the pressure difference between both sides of the pressure bulkhead. When also loads other than the pressure loads shall be absorbed and transferred by the pressure bulkhead, which can be desired in various cases, this cross sectional shape does not necessarily form an optimum with regard to stress distribution and required weight.
DE 10 2007 044 388 B4 discloses a pressure bulkhead for an aircraft fuselage formed as a sandwich structure having an inner face sheet, an outer face sheet, and a core sandwiched between the face sheets. The inner face sheet has an even cross section while the outer face sheet has a cross section which is flexed so that the distance between the outer face sheet and the inner face sheet gradually increases from the border area to a central axis. In the border area, where the sandwich structure is mounted to a fuselage shell, the distance between the outer and inner face sheets is constant up to a kink in the outer face sheet, from where on the outer face sheet extends away from the inner face sheet so that their distance increases linearly, when viewed from the border area to the central line. This linear increase runs until a second kink in the outer face sheet, from where on the outer and inner face sheets are in parallel again having a constant distance to one another, when viewed from the border area to the central line.
Such a cross section of the pressure bulkhead provides good strength characteristics for a uniform loading and a simple construction, while an integration and connection of cabin arrangements to the pressure bulkhead is facilitated. However, when loads other than pressure loads are to be received and transferred, this cross section is not always ideal.